If you think RIM is just focused on your Blackberry phone development, (buzzer sound) you would be incorrect. Rumored to be in-market for a mobile ad network, Research-In-Motion (RIM) has also filed for a patent of a digital-out-of-home technology called "adaptive digital billboard technology." David Weinfield illuminates the masses on Digital Signage Insights: "The patents focus on the use of GPS sensors in mobile devices to determine the density and speed of crowds as they pass billboards. This information would facilitate the selection of the optimum advertising message to match a group's profile." Read more. And, visit one of the patents on the USPTO website.

Distributing Data

Newspapers are leveraging data again!... After deciding to concentrate on its digital strategy, USA Today has quietly launched its first foray into the content distribution space by leveraging its data through APIs. Roman Irani of Programmable Web writes, "The nationwide newspaper aims to raise internal awareness about its databases first, with public access and a developer contest to follow. (...) The company has already announced two of its upcoming datasets: the Best Selling Books API and Sports Salaries API. " Read more. And, the rate of decline of ad spend on hard copy news has slowed (good news!) but pales in comparison to the 14% online ad spend increase for news websites. Read the WSJ.

Beware Of Marketers

Microsoft exec Eric Picard publishes his monthly missive on iMedia Connection and he adds his thoughts on the recent retargeting controversy and the "creepy" factor. Picard writes, "Ultimately, consumers will decide what is and isn't acceptable to them, and beware the marketing industry executives who believe they will make that decision on the consumer's behalf." Read more.

Facebook Enabling Display

It was inevitable. It is now official. ComScore reports that as of August 2010, Facebook is now the leader in time spent by users each month among all websites followed by Google. Jon Fortt of CNBC's Tech Check offers his analysis: "Facebook is the biggest display advertising player on the web – that’s basically brand advertising – and that’s stuff that you want people to spend a lot of time looking at." Read more from CNBC and see the Facebook, time-spent, hockey stick graph.

UK Ad Network Rankings

Late last week, ComScore reported it's "Top 10" for UK ad networks. Ciaran O'Kane, ExchangeWire editor and producer of the ExchangeWire Ad Trading Summit on September 23 in London, isn't convinced: "Looking at these figures released by Comscore during the week about the UK display market confirms to me that nobody in our industry knows how big the ad net market actually is." See the ComScore numbers. And, read ExchangeWire.

More Netezza Rumors

Computer data warehousing firm Netezza remains a hot topic of conversation in the mergers and acquisitions world of Wall Street. With HP's recent purchase of 3Par, some say that Netezza could be next. The Netezza stock price isn't hurting as the rumor mill has driven the company up to nearly $23 per share after spending most of the summer around $15 per share. Read more on International Business Times.

RTB Exchanges Have Scale Limits

COO Andy Atherton of Brand.net takes issue with Triggit's Zach Coelius recent assertion on AdExchanger.com that you can buy top publisher inventory today on RTB-enabled exchanges. Atherton writes, "It is possible to use a DSP (as he describes) to bid only on specific top sites that have offered, transparently for RTB through an exchange, the same inventory their direct sales forces sell. But there’s simply no scale available that way today. And unless publishers are prepared to gut out and cannibalize their primary direct sales channel, there won’t be tomorrow either." Read more.

Investment Banker Leaves, Arrives

Managing Partner Jay McDonald of boutique investment bank DeSilva & Phillips announced publicly last week that he will be leaving his firm in order to "spend more time investing in early stage digital media companies through early stage VC, eValue Group AG." eValue execs include Falk Solutions' Thomas Falk as CEO.

Ad Targeting Widget Gets Distro

In a release, Compass Labs (AdExchanger Q&A) announced a new widget and a Seesmit partnership aimed at broadening its social conversation, ad targeting offering. According to the release, "The Compass Labs 'Gadget Buzz' widget identifies topics and products in social media content and connects users to related conversations across social networks and discussion forums. Compass Labs' Ads targeting service enables all plug-in developers, social applications and clients to realize superior monetization for their Web and mobile properties." Read more.

Advocating Display View-Throughs

Advertise.com CEO Dan Yomtobian preaches the display advertising view-through gospel in a piece on Search Engine Watch. He writes, "Last year, comScore and Starcom USA released a study showing a sharp drop in the number of U.S. Internet users who click on display ads. This is why advertisers should consider the positive impact on their display ads of "the view" in relation to consumer behavior." Read more.

Local Ads Get Funds

Local advertising technology and media company DataSphere Technologies announced recently that it has raised $10M in Series C financing from lead investor OVP Partners as well as existing investors Ignition Partners and Fisher Communications. Read more.

CDN News

Content delivery network Limelight Networks, an Akamai competitor and owner of EyeWonder, produced a Wall Street analyst day event last week and a Goldman Sachs analyst notes the following on the company's potential: "Stack build out offers opportunities for growth while risking alienation of broader ecosystems. Since acquiring Delve and EyeWonder, revenue yields have been a concern as well as traffic to Limelight, which is now a competitor." Read more.

Ad Ops To Congregate

Ad Monsters is hosting its one-day Ops show - billed as "a unique forum focused exclusively on those who live and breathe ad operations" - in NYC on September 30. Among the invited participants will be The Wall Street Journal's Gordon McLeod, Adnetik's CEO Ed Montes and Universal McCann's ad ops pro Mitch Weinstein. And the event is sold out! Ops is hot!

BusinessWeek reports that Google will be investing in a research center in France and "will look to assist technology entrepreneurs and help build a 'European cultural institute'" in France. The announcement comes after Google has run afoul in recent years with the French government over everything from the "street View map system to book-scanning, and its advertising platform," according to BW's Matthew Campbell. Read more. Given privacy sensitivities in the EU, this would appear to be another step in lowering Google's barrier to entry as it relates to cookie-based advertising and the proliferation and use of the DoubleClick Ad Exchange in Europe.

When Irish Agencies Are Consolidating

Irish ad news publication AdWorld.ie says that Havas agency Young Euro RSCG will hand-off its domestic buying duties in Ireland to Aegis. AdWorld says, "The move represents another round in the ongoing consolidation of the Irish media buying industry in Ireland, one which is dominated by Aegis, Group M and Core Media. It also strengthens the position of Aegis in the marketplace. In 2008 the three agencies that make up Aegis Ireland - Carat, Brindley and Vizeum - had combined billings in the order of €177m." Read more.

VivaKi Re-Orgs Social

Steve McClellan reports in AdWeek that Publicis media division VivaKi is executing on a re-organization of its social media (and earned media) strategy. McClellan says "a new VivaKi-level unit will house shared resources and tools to help individual media brands execute optimally in the rapidly evolving earned-media space." VivaKi exec Rishad Tobaccowala is leading the changes which includes having VivaKi social media subject matter experts listen to and network with each other. Read more.